Shooting from the hip: Robbing Peter to pay Paul?

Recent happenings that unfolded in leading domestic sporting disciplines call for scrutiny, to say the least.
The shoddy fashion in which the appointment of Timothy Tjongarero as Namibia Football Association (NFA) Technical Director (TD) was conducted is a case in point.

HELLO! This is a damn high profile position and the football governing body’s dismal failure to at least make an announcement in this regard in the most dignified way demonstrates a clear lack of insight. Such a practice from the hierarchy entrusted to oversee the smooth running of Namibian football reeks of arrogance, defies logic and is very much against conventional wisdom.

The same applies to the highly secretive election process at the NNOC, that was conducted under a heavy cloud of suspicion, this notwithstanding the outdated methodology of voting whereby outgoing members are allowed to cast their votes, nogal!

Be it in politics, clubs or sports associations those eyeing plum positions are inclined to parade well crafted juicy blueprints, only for those promises to gather dust once they are endorsed.
Not that yours truly has anything against ‘Bra T’, surely not. All I’m advocating is for the NFA to adopt a culture of good governance, enhance transparency and accountability if they are to attract public confidence.
Many a sporting discipline has adopted this misplaced perception that they are in charge and under no obligation to respect or rather treat the media as their partners.

Football or any other sport is just a mere product and it should be noted that products, how good or bad they are, need an industry to flourish.
In the Namibian context, the media is the industry which fans the ultimate consumers, not the other way round, period!

Failure to communicate and play open cards with your valued partners has the potential to invite unnecessary suspicion and inevitable criticism, so to speak.

Now, the fundamental question that needs to be addressed is: when was this position advertised, who were the short-listed candidates and what’s the football pedigree of those who served on the interview panel? I’m just asking.
These are pertinent questions that seek concrete answers. The public, through the media, reserve the right to be informed about issues of public interest from a community institution such as the NFA.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

It’s an enormous feeling to proudly acknowledge that boxing has made significant strides since the dawn of democracy almost 26 years ago.

So far, Namibian athletes have excelled in the business of leather trading with the country having produced three world champions in the shape of the great Harry Simon, Paulus ‘Hitman’ Moses and Paulus ‘Rock’ Ambunda, complemented by a significant haul of continental titles – certainly no mean feat.

And while the boxers have stolen the limelight in the boxing ring, all is not well outside the ring, ranging from boxers allowed to fight under dubious health checks and all that kind of jazz.

The Namibian Boxing Federation’s (NBF) perennial failure to hold its quarterly General Elective Congress is another bone of contention, while national trials appear to have gone the way of the dinosaur.
Unless these burning issues are addressed with the urgency they deserve and arrested quickly – amateur boxing will remain idling. I rest my case.